Best Hardwood Species Over Radiant Heat Nwfa

The types of wood flooring best suited for under floor radiant heat systems should be accounted for to ensure long term performance.

Best hardwood species over radiant heat nwfa.

The nwfa offers information on radiant heat in its technical manual a100. Engineered wood flooring is more dimensionally stable than solid wood flooring. Quartersawn or rift sawn flooring is preferable to plainsawn in the search for stability. Plainsawn wood will move more than quartersawn especially when it is over 4 inches wide.

Types of wood flooring that are best suited for radiant heat subfloor are products that possess improved dimensional stability such as. Certain solid hardwood floors are appropriate as well. Guide the homeowner in selecting a hardwood floor that is appropriate for their scenario. Water and wood as well as in its installation guidelines.

Together the taskforce developed maximum recommended allowable operating temperature guidelines for wood floors. Types of wood flooring that are best suited for radiant heat subfloor are products that possess improved dimensional stability such as these. Quartersawn wood flooring is always more stable under conditions of extreme moisture or heat and is always a good choice over radiant heat especially when going with flooring wider than 4 inches. The national wood flooring association nwfa put together a radiant heat taskforce made up of many experts from the radiant heating industry including members from the radiant professionals alliance rpa.

How to install hardwood floors over radiant heat parquet floors are readily used in radiant heat applications. Certain species are known for their inherent dimensional stability such as north american oak and others. One of the best options over radiant heat is to use an engineered hardwood floor. With strip flooring the wider the board the greater the potential for gaps between the boards when they contract with seasonal changes in temperature and humidity.

Most newer radiant heat systems have exterior thermostats which will gradually bring up the temperature within the floor during the start of the colder season so that the heat will not shock the wood flooring causing the. We recommend the radiant heat be run at a temperature of 65 70 degrees two weeks prior to the wood flooring being brought in and until the wood flooring has been installed. When possible choose a species that is known for its stability. Wood flooring can be installed over radiant heat as long as you understand radiant heat and how it can impact wood flooring what precautions to take and what type of wood flooring to use.